Workers are aware that new and innovative high speed document transport systems are eagerly pursued at present. One problem using such is that when pinch rolls are employed, the "moveable roll" is apt to "bounce" away from document when meeting a document having a "bulge" (e.g. large staple or fold thereon). And such a bounce can undesirably leave the document poorly driven, since this moveable roll is normally spring-biased vs. its companion driving-roll, as workers know.
This invention avoids such problems, and includes "floating damper" means for damping the movable pinch roll (e.g. for documents of irregular thicknesses, and/or for unusual protrusions on the document such as staples). Thus, one object hereof is to minimize transient motions of the movable pinch roll normal to the document transport direction, so that the pinch rolls remain more in intimate contact with the document, even under "bounce conditions".
As a feature hereof, such floating-damping is provided through use of a flexible damping material, such as poly-urethane, plus a suitable floating-backing.
Such a floating damper is of particular interest for minimizing bounce of a movable pinch-roll on an arm cantilevered-out to be spring-biased against the drive roll. This arm may, itself, be resilient (e.g. a flexure arm).
Thus, it is also an object hereof to address (at least some of) the aforementioned problems, and to provide the herein-cited advantages and functions. A related object is to provide a moveable pinch-roll mounted on a spring-biased pivot arm, where "roll-bounce" is minimized by floating damper means.
The methods and means discussed herein, will generally be understood as constructed and operating as presently known in the art, except where otherwise specified; and with all materials, methods and devices and apparatus herein understood as implemented by known expedients according to present good practice.